Water-Based Screenprinting Today: From Hands-on Techniques to Digital Technology [Paperback]

Roni Henning (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2006

• Spotlights “green” technology, safe for all artists


• Distinguished author has worked with Andy Warhol, Red Grooms, Romare Bearden, and other top artists


• Techniques range from the traditional hands-on to the latest in digital screenprinting



For many years, screenprinting was oil-based—and presented significant health risks even as it damaged the environment. Today, fortunately, screenprinting has shifted to water-based technologies. Now Roni Henning, a leading expert on screenprinting, offers her tips and techniques for getting the most out of these safer, “greener” water-based methods ranging from the traditional hands-on methods to the latest digital technology. She explains separations and color correcting, then discusses the artist-printmaker collaboration, giving intriguing examples from her own work with such luminaries as Andy Warhol, Red Grooms, and Romare Bearden. Henning also offers step-by-step instructions for monoprinting, her own direct-to-screen watercolor process. Illustrated with glowing examples of the printmaking medium, including works by Bearden, Jack Youngerman, Gene Davis, and Elizabeth Osbourne, this is the definitive work on an increasingly popular art.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Roni Henning was the director of the Screenprinting Workshop at the New York Institute of Technology for twenty years. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Watson-Guptill (October 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823057283
• ISBN-13: 978-0823057283
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.4 x 10.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #201,482 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Teaching Tool, August 7, 2007

By 

E. Maurelli "Busy Mom" (Iowa City, IA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Water-Based Screenprinting Today: From Hands-on Techniques to Digital Technology (Paperback)

This practical guide to the silk screen process is really useful. There are plenty of illustrations and detailed instruction on how the author achieved the look shown. Of course, as with all art making, there is always more than one way to do something. The author explains how projects are handled in their particular shop. The section on halftone screens is very useful, as is the explanation of monotyping. This book takes the time to explain ways of making the process work "at home." I used sections out of this manual for a beginning silk screen class, and they found it helpful

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not What I Expected, August 6, 2010

By 

Buffy (Sunnydale) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Water-Based Screenprinting Today: From Hands-on Techniques to Digital Technology (Paperback)

You will benefit (or not) from this book depending on what type of screen printing you are looking to do. First and foremost this is centered on fine art prints. This is what I was searching for and still found this to be a major disappointment.

Up to page 19 covers the author's printing collaborations with other artists. No technical information.

Page 21-41 covers using the screen to make monotype prints. As the name suggests, monotypes are one-off prints, more akin to original paintings than longer print runs. I am personally more interested in producing 100 of the same print rather than a unique, one-of-a-kind artwork.

Pages 43-71 cover the subject of creating stencils with the emphasis on hand drawn or hand cut stencils. I was more interested in photo mechanical stencils, not having to hand paint or draw a stencil.

Pages 74-75 show how to coat screen with emulsion. Useful, but you can find even better videos on the internet. Pages 76-81 cover exposure and again, the information can be found in a much clearer format in videos online. Page 82 is washing the screen. Page 83 is touching up the screen.

Chapter 5 is about color mixing.
Chapter 6 is "Printing Screenprints" and covers screenprinting tables, drying racks, squeegees, paper, up to cleaning the screen and removing emulsion. Again, pretty basic material.
Chapter 7 "Computer Techniques" pages 119-140 covers basic photoshop techniques. If you've never used photoshop this might be helpful, but I would think a dedicated photoshop book would be more useful.

I was mainly looking for a book geared to photomechanical type screen printing, in larger runs similar to an Andy Warhol style print. This book was more focused toward free-form, hand drawn methods of screen printing. While the techniques and materials used were interesting, it's not what I was looking for.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific for Artists and Teachers, March 8, 2011

By 

mg - See all my reviews

This review is from: Water-Based Screenprinting Today: From Hands-on Techniques to Digital Technology (Paperback)

I teach middle school and high school visual art and I love this book. I keep my copy at school as a reference. But, it is more than a reference. For quick screenprinting instructions, one can simply look online and find tons of stuff. This book is in depth and rich with images, information, and tips. It is inspiring because many of the artist's profiled are sophisticated and their images complex-- it goes beyond what I would have imagined a "screenprint" could be. This book is an excellent in depth overiew of the complexity of the process, and of course, I love the non toxic water-based aspect as a teacher.